Aerial delivery of liquid provisions



Aug. 1967 P. F. GIRARD 3,334,676

AERIAL DELIVERY OF LIQUID PROVISIONS Filed 00%.. 20, 1965 2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR. PETER F. GIRARD I madam;

Aug.'8, 1967 P. F. GIRARD 3,334,675

AERIAL DELIVERY OF LIQUID PROVISIONS Filed Oct. 20, 196E 2 h s-She t 2 INVENTOR. PETER F. GIRARD United States Patent Office 3,334,676 Patented Aug. 8, 1967 3,334,676 AERIAL DELIVERY OF LIQUID PROVISIONS Peter F. Girard, La Mesa, Califl, assignor to The Ryan Aeronautical Co., San Diego, Calif. Filed Oct. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 498,911 1 Claim. (Cl. 150-.5)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The containers are designed for free air dropping of large quantities of liquids onto any type of surface without the danger of bursting, the containers being highly elastic and elongated with spaced reinforcements effectively dividing each container into cells, so that the shock of impact is dissipated progressively in a wave-like manner along the length of each container and not concentrated in any one spot.

The present invention relates to packaging and delivery of liquid provisions.

The primary object of this invention is to provide means for air dropping large quantities of liquid provisions from aircraft in flight, with the liquid carried in containers designed to absorb the impact shock progressively, so that damage or danger of bursting is minimized.

Another object of this invention is to provide liquid delivery means which does not require sustaining parachutes and which falls in a stable manner along a predetermined line of impact with considerable accuracy.

Another object of this invention is to provide liquid delivery containers which can be used for storage and transportation of liquids and which can be filled and emptied Without any specialized equipment.

A further object of this invention is to provide liquid delivery containers which are re-usable and which, when empty, can be rolled or folded into a minimum of storage space.

The structure and use of the containers are illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a multiple container assembly as carried ready for delivery;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view of one end of a container, partially in section;

FIGURE 3 is a diagram showing the landing action when dropped from high altitude;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in the direction of arrows 44 of FIGURE 3, showing the shock absorbing action;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a diagram of delivery technique from very low altitude.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar or identical elements and portions throughout the specification and throughout the views of the drawing.

The basic container 10 is a liquid tight bag in the form of an elongated cylindrical tube 12 with closed ends 14, preferably domed or hemispherical for pressure resistance. The tube is made from a flexible, highly elastic material, such as natural or synthetic rubber, the elongation ratio preferably being on the order of 400%. Length to diameter ratio may range from 20 to one to 100 to one, with a diameter to wall thickness on the order of 30 to one, but these figures are indicative only and not intended to be limiting. At longitudinally spaced intervals along the tube 12 are encircling reinforcing bands 16 of flexible but substantially inelastic material, such as woven fabric, glass fiber tape, or similar material of suitable strength, the bands being bonded to the tube in any suitable manner.

The spacing is preferably about 1.5 tube diameters, but this will depend on the specific material and wall thickness.

Each closed end 14 is provided with a neck 18 giving access to the container for filling and emptying, the neck being closed by a cap 20. Also fixed to each end is a tie ring 22, suitable reinforcement being provided as necessary.

The container is designed to facilitate assembly into a string of containers, as in FIGURE 1, connections being made by links 24 of cable, chain, or similar means be tween tie rings 22 of adjacent containers. When filled the containers can be laid in side-by-side parallel relation on the floor of an aircraft, with a drogue chute 26 attached to the tie ring 22 at one end of the container string.

The drogue chute is not intended to support the container string, but is merely for aerodynamic drag to assist in extracting the containers from the aircraft and limiting the falling speed to approximately miles per hour. Drop speed can be controlled by proper design of the drogue chute to suit specific containers, contents and drop requirements.

In the delivery operation the first container 10 is ejected from the aircraft and the drogue chute 26 opened by a rip cord or static line 28. The weight of the first container and the drag of the drogue chute pull out the entire container string in linear array.

If the containers are dropped from a few hundred feet the action will be similar to that shown in FIGURE 3. The container string will be falling with the initially ejected end retarded by the drogue chute 26 and the containers hanging below, with some forward velocity remaining. The last extracted container will strike the ground first and the string will lay down along the ground with a rolling action. As each container strikes the ground progressively along its length, the impact shock will be greatest at the area of occurring contact, but, since the container is an elongated tube, the pressure will be distributed along the entire length. Upon contact the kinetic energy of the liquid in the tube becomes pressure energy and causes the tube to stretch and flatten against the ground. The elasticity of the tube 12 allows the tube wall to stretch in individual cells 30 between the reinforcing bands 16, as in FIGURE 4. The corresponding cross section in FIGURE 5 illustrates the typical expansion of the tube cells 30, with the normal diameter of tube 12 indicated in broken line. After absorbing the initial impact shock the tube will regain its normal shape, the cellular expansion occurring with a rippling action along the container.

There is very little tendency for the container to bounce or rebound, since the impact is localized and the weight of the remainder of the elongated container will subdue any bouncing. The combination of the progressive elastic absorption of the localized impact shock and the overall distribution of pressure along the full length of the tube, allows the container to remain intact without the need for cushioning, as by large parachutes.

If the containers are dropped from high altitude and are extended vertically with little or no forward motion, they will still strike the ground progressively along their lengths and the shock absorbing action will be maintained. In vertical descent the linked containers, although structurally flexible, have a certain rigidity when relaxed or unloaded due to the liquid filling, and do not tend to fall across each other or become entangled on the ground.

When dropped from very low altitudes, as in FIGURE 6, the drogue chute may not be necessary. In this operation the initially ejected container strikes the ground first and the string is laid out along the path of flight of the aircraft, indicated at 32. The containers maybe ejected 3 manually or pulled out by the drag of the initial containers. Alternatively, the string can be extracted by the recently developed snatch technique, wherein a ground based arresting device engages a cable trailed by an aircraft flying a few feet off the ground and snatches out the load, which falls the short distance without damage.

Once the containers are on the ground they may be towed, rolled, or otherwise moved collectively or individually to any desired location. Since each container is sealed it will, except with special contents, float on Water and is easily recovered.

The containers can be emptied by gravity, as by placing them on an incline or by raising one end by a winch, helicopter, or other means to drain the contents from the opened neck 18 at the low end. The contents can also be emptied by rolling or folding the container, or even by driving a vehicle along its length to squeeze out the liquid.

Various liquids such as water, gasoline, or other fuels may be carried. The filled containers can be stacked for storage and when empty may be rolled or folded to minimize storage space and facilitate transportation.

It is understood that minor variation from the form of the invention disclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the specification and drawings are to be considered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

I claim:

Aerial delivery means for liquids, comprising:

an elongated tubular container of flexible, elastic material having closed ends;

said container having a length to diameter ratio in the range of 20 to one to 100 to one, and said elastic 1 material having an elongation ratio on the order of 400%;

a plurality of substantially inelastic reinforcing bands encircling said container at longitudinally spaced intervals;

and scalable access means in said container for filling and emptying.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,724,418 11/1955 Krupp .5 2,851,075 9/1958 Palfey ISO-.5 2,884,978 5/1959 Grimm 150.5 2,969,102 1/ 1961 Cunningham 150.5 3,018,748 1/1962 Denis et al 11474 3,030,078 4/1962 Daniels 244137 3,067,712 12/ 1962 Doerpinghaus 114-74 3,113,751 12/1963 Cotton 244137 3,129,740 4/ 1964 Nourse et a1. 150.53 3,828,361 11/1966 Mackie 150.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 42,129 7/ 1959 Poland.

OTHER REFERENCES Comic strip article New Age From the Washington Post Sunday, Jan. 18, 1959.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Examiner. 

